


Memories from Another(?) Timeline

by FunctionandFamily (thesudokukid)



Series: Forget Me Not [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Character Death, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, F/M, Manipulation, Other, spoilers for every run, spoilers for the kill all run
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-25 03:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6178264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesudokukid/pseuds/FunctionandFamily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One shots from various timelines in which Undertale and the world of Thedas meet. As a result you should expect spoilers for every route in Undertale and every Dragon Age game. (Lowered the rating because there's nothing "graphic" in it just yet)</p><p>A little taste of the first one:<br/>The real Frisk has the strength to come back for a moment. Or do they?<br/>“Mom?!”<br/>They drop the knife and desperately beg for her to wake up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Brother: or Sans Learns to Play Piano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two murders in this, rating it high just to be safe. And this is what I can ACTUALLY do when I y'know put in effort. FMN was sort of written in a "I doubt anyone other than me is actually gonna see this so why bother kind of way."
> 
> I'm in the middle of rewriting it though since SOMEBODY *coughSamanthacough* refused to tell me who she was for at least two weeks then went "let me get Asriel out of danger with leaping shot." Which I did. She eventually rewarded me with knowledge of her true identity. She's the Inquisitor. Yes. That one. And there may be time/universe shenanigans involved. Yeah. I'm the luckiest girl in the universe aren't I? Ha, ha, ha ha. (Sarcastic laughter)

Sans stands there listening to Samantha play the piano out in Waterfall. It’s the first time he’s left the house in two weeks. She said she had something to show him. Something that might help. He wouldn’t have done it but Papyrus would’ve wanted him to. Especially if he thought it would help him heal. Heal. Heh. Healer. He’d have to remember that.

He shakes his head, clears his mind, and focuses on the song.

“It’s a nice song,” he says. The words come out strangled. His voice cracks. “What’s it called?”

“Brother,” she says.

The words fall out of his mouth, “Teach me?”

She nods, tells him where to sit, and teaches him the song. It helps him mourn Papyrus the way Papyrus would actually _want_ to be mourned. Which is part of why he doesn’t mind running through it a few times.

He’ll come back to this piano and play that song whenever he feels upset. It reminds him a little of Papyrus. How his brother would help. Fitting, since it’s called _Brother_.

“Did it help,” she asks.

He nods, “yeah. come on now. we’ve got people to evacuate.”

She gets up and gives the piano a wistful look.

“My brother taught it to me,” she says. “Told me ‘you look like you’re about to break. Here’s something that might help you piece yourself back together.’ He was right. I was hoping it’d do the same for you too.”

“it did,” he says.

He’s not lying.

***

Samantha hums the song to herself whenever she starts getting distressed. He wishes her kid hadn’t turned into such a “monster” whenever she hums it. He doesn’t want her to start associating her brother’s song with death. Not even a little.

***

Frisk’s shell gives him a wicked grin when they pull the knife out of Samantha.

The real Frisk has the strength to come back for a moment. Or do they?

“Mom?!”

They drop the knife and desperately beg for her to wake up.

And just when he starts believing that it’s Frisk…

They give him a devious little smile and have the nerve to show him the Samantha’s tool-knife. The same one she used to make toys for Papyrus’ younger patients to play with.

“you sure you wanna do this kid?”

They answer by locking the tool-knife’s blade into place.

“thought so.” He sighs, “sorry samantha. this is why i never promise anyone anything.”

***

He barely manages to dodge the knife.

“heh, did you really think you’d be able to-”

He’s interrupted by another slash.

“… … …that’s it isn’t it? just like that. everyone’s either dead or about to be. don’t say samantha and i never warned you, yeah?”

He turns to Papyrus, “hey papyrus, you want samma and i to show you another way to heal someone? come on, i promise i won’t be lazy.”

He takes a shortcut to the piano out in Waterfall and plays the song. Papyrus seems to enjoy it.

***

A set of clothes falls onto a piano bench. Every item is dusty. Very, very, _very_ dusty. There’s no one around to witness it. No one to give a funeral. No one at all.

No one at all.

No one at all.

***

Dusty Jacket: Wearing this jacket makes you want to ditch it immediately. Your speed in battle increases by ten percent.

(0 DEF)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Age (that's Bioware's) or Undertale. That belongs to Toby Fox.
> 
> [Official Tumblr](http://functionandfamily.tumblr.com)  
>  [Brother by Road Hawgs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wdeMuMgzSg)
> 
> Taste of the second one:
> 
> “What did Anastasia tell you exactly,” Maxwell asks.
> 
> “She told me that I was foolish to trust you. That you were just manipulating me.”
> 
> “I’ll have to talk to her about that,” he asks. He sounds upset.
> 
> “Why’d you say it all Gamey and strange like that,” Samantha asks. “What are you planning?”
> 
> He gives her a smile, “Nothing, little duck. I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t trust me. That’s all.”


	2. You Can Trust Me: or The First Little Hint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Samantha starts realizing her big brother Maxwell might not be as great as she thinks he is. These will also serve as the first two scenes of FMN.

Samantha wasn’t terrible at the Game. She wasn’t entirely good at it either. That was bad. Very bad.

It wouldn’t be half so terrible if her family wasn’t practically Orlesian, climbing over everyone for better status or more coin or land or anything like that.

She was the youngest of four so no one thought she’d be exceptional at the art of it all, but no one thought she’d merely be a better than medicocre at it or a threat or…

All in all the general consensus was that it was really a Very Good Thing for the Trevelyans she was the youngest. After all Samantha Judith Trevelyan wasn’t actually a threat to anyone, not with being so terrible at the grand game.

But the older brother she idolized beyond all reason, Maxwell, was far better than average at it. Made them see things differently by showing how much damage Samantha could do if one got close enough to her.

Samantha while too honest to bother with playing, was a loyal person, and rather blindly trusted those she believed to be her friends. And so it came to be that while Samantha was a terribly poor player of the game, she made a rather excellent tool.

***

“So what you’re saying is that Anastasia told you couldn’t trust me,” Maxwell asks.

“Yes,” Samantha said. “Do you want the specifics?”

“That would be nice yes,” Maxwell says.

Samantha notches an arrow, “She said that I was ‘foolish to trust you’ and that you were ‘just manipulating me?’ I didn’t believe her. Not really.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Maxwell says. “But I’m afraid I’ll need to talk to her anyway. I need you to know that you can trust me. I can’t have her spoiling that just because she’s jealous.”

Samantha releases the arrow, “She’s my friend. She was worried for me. I’m not saying don’t do it. I just want you to be careful. She’s special to me. I don’t want to lose her just because of a fixable misunderstanding.”

“I’ll be careful duck,” Maxwell says. “Promise.”

His mutters under his breath while preparing to send Walking Bomb at a stray duck, “Very, _very_ careful.”

The duck's subsequent explosion distracts her from thinking more about Maxwell's muttering. Not that it matters. She would've passed it off as nothing anyway. She’ll wish she hadn’t been distracted by the duck's entrails when she learns about Ana’s fate.

Trapped under Mount Ebbot wearing her ballet outfit. Killing out of fear, getting caught in Waterfall, being executed by the king.

A fate Samantha just barely managed to escape. Only to get a different bad fate in its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So she dropped a bomb on me again. This one basically being, "my brother was a manipulative bastard and I was too naive to see it properly."
> 
> [Official Tumblr](http://functionandfamily.tumblr.com)
> 
> Taste of the Third one:
> 
> Maxwell’s voice sounds eerie when he speaks. The effect is made worse by his cocked head.
> 
> “Samantha, duck, are you really going to let a little thing like _that_ keep you from getting what you want?”


	3. Learning to Unbind/Familiar but Unfamiliar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samantha gets a bit spooked by Maxwell and gets a letter from someone the Undertale fans will probably find familiar and non familiar.

Samantha’s looking over her notes. Trying to see what needs copying before the Chantry’s completely unreasonable deadline.

There’s a knock at the door and she hides her research almost instantly.

“Come in,” she says.

She tries not to sigh in relief when she sees that it’s just Maxwell.

“Worried about your project, duck,” Maxwell asks.

“Would you kindly keep your voice down,” Samantha asks. “Katherine’s bothering me about mailing my research to the Orlesian chantry. I’m already under enough stress trying to copy my notes with that. I don’t need you to make things any worse.”

Maxwell points to her desk where her notes are now copying themselves.

“It’s not illegal to ask for help duck, you know that don’t you?”

“It is in this case,” Samantha replies.

Maxwell’s voice sounds eerie when he speaks. The effect is made worse by his cocked head.

“Samantha, duck, are you really going to let a little thing like _that_ keep you from getting what you want?”

He smiles at her and she almost forgets why she was afraid. Almost. He leaves when the notes are done copying themselves. She’s not sure why she’s so spooked but there has to be a reason. Doesn’t there?

***

She gets a letter from someone in Kirkwall asking about her work that she’s supposedly stopped doing.

Their work doesn’t concern hers very much. Just the effects of lyrium in the blood stream and how that might create mages.

He doesn’t give his actual name, just calls himself Shortstack. She assumes it’s because he’s both short (she has no idea why she mentioned it) and a researcher. And also because researchers can be something of a walking library stack when it comes to their particular subject.

She laughs at the pun without meaning to. It’s a little strange to be laughing after all this time. But she decides she’s earned it after all the years of misery she’s put herself through.

She starts drafting a reply letter almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Send in a guess?](http://functionandfamily.tumblr.com)


	4. Samantha Grows Up: or Like Water off a Duck's Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samantha's pretty damn sure her brother's an ass. What does she do when he tries reading her private mail without her permission?

Samantha’s sent home with Maxwell when his quarterly visit home comes up. She tries to read Shortstack’s letters of concern, encouragement, and praise discreetly. She gets the feeling Maxwell would badger her for information about him. Information he really doesn’t need and she’s unwilling to share. She turns out to be, unfortunately, not quite discreet enough.

Maxwell takes the letter out of her hand, “What’s this duck? Letter from an admirer?”

She takes the letter back, folds it up, and sticks it into her unabridged Chant of Light book.

“You should ask before taking things that aren’t yours,” Samantha says.

Maxwell chuckles, “Relax duck, I was only looking.”

“You still should’ve asked before you took one of my things like that,” Samantha says. “I didn’t give you permission to look at it or take it from my hand. My letters are my business and who I share them with is my choice. I didn’t choose to share them with you.”

He spends the rest of that day being annoyed with her for setting a boundary. She’ll have to watch him from now on. She can’t allow him to keep disrespecting her and treating her like she’s nothing. She has to take a stand against him.

All she has to do is figure out how to do it.

***

“You’re ignoring me aren’t you,” Maxwell asks. “Punishing me for teasing you the other day.”

“With respect you took my mail right out of my hand without asking for it,” Samantha replies. “I am not ignoring you. I am setting a baseline action for the next time you choose to act like you have a right to my things.”

“You wouldn’t have minded before...”

“And that’s supposed to make your actions acceptable is it,” Samantha says. “I wouldn’t have minded before because I didn’t know better. Now? I do. The friends I have at templar training don’t invade my privacy or read my mail without asking. They’re good people or at least they seem to be. I can trust them to mean their compliments. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to trust yours.”

“What do you mean,” Maxwell asks.

“Only that you have a bad habit of taking away someone’s compliment if they do the slightest thing wrong,” Samantha replies. “While the people I meet at templar training generally do mean the compliments they give out. The compliments reward hard work, not compliance. Not like yours do.

“Do you want to know what I think? I think you’ve been manipulating me this entire time. Telling me that I can trust you when I actually can’t. And now that I’ve seen the light and started escaping from your grasp you’re starting to see there isn’t going to be a friendly relationship between us any longer. You’re reacting to the loss of a tool, not a sister. By the time we’re dead and gone, I’ll be unbound and you’ll be undone. That’s just the way things are.”

She does her best to ignore him on their way back home. Maxwell does nothing for her, now. They have no reason to speak to each other unless absolutely necessary. She’s cutting off any and all contact with him if she ever leaves templar life (or least the Ostwick circle). She’ll unbind herself and undo him if it’s the last thing she ever does. She’ll make sure justice is served and his sentence is carried out. She’s just not quite sure how she’ll manage it yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Questions? Comments? Concerns? Express them here.](http://functionandfamily.tumblr.com)


End file.
